E.J. Riley 6ft Table Manufacture Date

[Oom Kwagga]

Good day good people...

Wondering if anybody can perhaps assist with putting an age to the 6ft Riley table I inhereted from my Grandfather.

The table is an E.J. Riley Limited, Accrington with serial number A61880.

It is a 1/4 snooker table with the dining top. It has square legs that tapers down.

The table belonged to my mother's father... I remember playing on this table when I was a little kid, and I know my father played on it when he was in highschool, when he was still just friends with my mother's older brother. My mother grew up with the table in the house. So since we know the table was just there. Unfortunately my grandfather passed away a little over two years ago, so heaven only knows how and when he got the table.

For the past 15-20 years the table was at my parents' house and in that time we managed to get a smaller set of pool balls to suit the smaller scale and pockets. It also has the original set of smaller snooker balls. The table now came to me after the passing of my father, and for the first time I actually noticed it the manufacturer when moving it to my house...

Is there any way to get a manufacturing date from the serial number?

TIA

[DeanH]

Welcome to TSF

Lovely reading your history of your table, always nice to have such an item going through a family.

Unfortunately it can be very difficult to date tables but you never know

Can you show us some pictures of the table, we always love to see pictures.




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[Oom Kwagga]

I'll take some pics when I open it tonight.

Unfortunately it was a bit neglected at some stage, and the diner top has warped a bit due to a roof leaking onto the table many years ago... But it is still straight and sturdy. Would love getting it restored one day.

[Oom Kwagga]

Here is the link to a Drive folder with a few pics

[DeanH]

Here is the link to a Drive folder with a few pics

not public, need login

[Oom Kwagga]

https://drive.google.com/drive/folde...ynFIRT0OZKo2u9

[Oom Kwagga]

https://drive.google.com/drive/folde...ynFIRT0OZKo2u9

Try this one

[DeanH]

nice old table

[Oom Kwagga]

Yeah... Would be awesome to know how old though... lol

[Cue crafty]

Can t be exact, but I'd say around 1930,These style of Riley's tables were produced during the 30's to 50's.

Hopefully the serial number may mean something to a member with more knowledge.

[100-uper]

It's interesting that there are two serial numbers on the table, A6.1880 and A6.1291.

I have seen a 6ft Riley table with a number A6.6725 stamped on the leg. That table also had a date of 31/10/23 chalked on the slate. Going by that as a rough guide, I would say that your table is Edwardian.

[100-uper]

Riley's introduced their combined billiard-dining tables about 1901, but they were of a different design to yours which is a later model. The earliest I have seen an illustrated advert for this is 1909 which mentions that it is a new design. They continued to make them in the same style for many years, but the serial number suggests your is likely to be from around this date.